Fearing Ukrainian action, Orbán deploys soldiers to priority energy facilities

The Hungarian prime minister has also ordered a drone flight ban in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, near the Ukrainian border.

"We will not give in to blackmail, I have ordered the reinforcement of the protection of critical energy infrastructure": so begins a Facebook post accompanied by a video by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.Orbán posted the video after the Defence Council meeting, first recalling that since 27 January no Russian oil has been coming from Ukraine to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline.The prime minister did not mention that the pipeline was shut down because Russian forces had severely damaged it in an air strike. Orbán and his government have been talking for days about Kyiv's supposed "political blackmail" of Hungary, by which it means the failure to repair the pipeline."I have listened to the reports of the national security services, I see that Ukraine is preparing further actions to disrupt the functioning of the Hungarian energy system," the prime minister said after the situation assessment, adding that he had ordered increased military protection of critical energy facilities.He said that soldiers and equipment to repel attacks would be deployed near priority facilities, and that police would patrol the areas around designated power plants, distribution stations and control centres with greater force than before.Orbán also added he had "ordered a ban on drone flights in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county".